1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a three-dimensional graphics system which can perform a three-dimensional graphics display with relatively simple circuit configuration, and a drawing operation processing device and a nonvolatile memory device constituting the three-dimensional graphics system.
2. Description of the Background Art
FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing a constitution of a background-art three-dimensional graphics system. As shown in this figure, polygon definition data 1 mainly described in a program undergoes a geometrical operation and a drawing operation by a three-dimensional graphics processing unit 20 and then it is displayed in three-dimensional graphics on a display unit 7 by a drawing execution unit 6. The polygon definition data 1 includes color data as well as three-dimensional data with respect to vertices of a polygon.
The operations of the three-dimensional graphics processing unit 20 is separately executed by a not-shown geometrical operation pipeline processing execution unit and a not-shown drawing operation pipeline processing execution unit.
The drawing execution unit 6 captures three-dimensional graphics drawing data (RGB xcex1) pixel by pixel, which is obtained by executing the above geometrical operation pipeline processing and drawing operation pipeline processing on the polygon definition data 1 and writes the three-dimensional drawing data into a predetermined region of a frame memory, to perform a pixel actual-generation for actually displaying three-dimensional graphics on (the two-dimensional screen) of the display unit 7.
To perform the above three-dimensional graphics operation in real time, it is necessary to use a dedicated processing unit or a processor having a sufficiently-high operation performance as the three-dimensional graphics processing unit 20, and that raises a problem of high cost and power consumption needed for the three-dimensional graphics processing unit 20.
The present invention is directed to a three-dimensional graphics system. According to a first aspect of the present invention, the three-dimensional graphics system comprises: nonvolatile memory means for storing first-operation processed data obtained by performing at least part of geometrical operation, the geometrical operation generating a three-dimensional polygon on the basis of data defining the three-dimensional polygon; second-operation processing means connected to the nonvolatile memory means to read the first-operation processed data therefrom, for generating graphics drawing data corresponding to the three-dimensional polygon on the basis of the first-operation processed data; and display means for displaying three-dimensional graphics on a two-dimensional screen on the basis of the graphics drawing data.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the three-dimensional graphics system according to the first aspect, the first-operation processed data includes three-dimensional data obtained by performing all the geometrical operation.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the three-dimensional graphics system according to the first aspect, the first-operation processed data includes three-dimensional data obtained by performing all the geometrical operation and part of a processing by which the graphics drawing data is obtained from the three-dimensional polygon.
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the three-dimensional graphics system according to the first aspect, the first-operation processed data includes a plurality of first-operation processed data, and the three-dimensional graphics system further comprising: read control means receiving an external input signal, for controlling a read operation of selectively reading the first-operation processed data from the plurality of first-operation processed data stored in the nonvolatile memory means on the basis of the external input signal.
According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, the three-dimensional graphics system according to the first aspect further comprises: high-speed read memory means capable of a read operation faster than the nonvolatile memory means, being interposed between the nonvolatile memory means and the second-operation processing means, and in the three-dimensional graphics system of the fifth aspect, the second-operation processing means reads the first-operation processed data from the nonvolatile memory means through the high-speed read memory means.
The present invention is also directed to a processor. According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, the processor has: data read means for reading data from a predetermined nonvolatile memory device storing first-operation processed data obtained by performing at least part of geometrical operation, the geometrical operation generating a three-dimensional polygon on the basis of data defining the three-dimensional polygon; and data processing means for generating graphics drawing data corresponding to the three-dimensional polygon on the basis of the first-operation processed data read out from the predetermined nonvolatile storage device.
The present invention is further directed to a computer-readable recording medium. According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, the computer-readable recording medium has nonvolatility, and recording first-operation processed data obtained by performing at least part of geometrical operation on the basis of data defining a three-dimensional polygon.
The second-operation processing means in the three-dimensional graphics system of the first aspect of the present invention generates the graphics drawing data corresponding to the three-dimensional polygon on the basis of the first-operation processed data obtained from the nonvolatile memory.
Since the first-operation processed data is data after undergoing at least part of the geometrical operation, by generating the graphics drawing data by the second-operation processing means on the basis of the first-operation processed data, the three-dimensional graphics display can be performed without at least part of the geometrical operation, thereby ensuring reduction in cost and power consumption.
In the three-dimensional graphics system of the second aspect, since the first-operation processed data includes data obtained by performing all the geometrical operation, by generating the graphics drawing data by the second-operation processing means on the basis of the first-operation processed data, the three-dimensional graphics display can be performed without all the geometrical operation, thereby ensuring reduction in cost and power consumption.
In the three-dimensional graphics system of the third aspect, since the first-operation processed data includes data obtained by performing all the geometrical operation and part of the operation for obtaining the graphics drawing data from the polygon, by generating the graphics drawing data by the second-operation processing means on the basis of the first-operation processed data, the three-dimensional graphics display can be performed without all the geometrical operation and the part of the operation for obtaining the graphics drawing data from the polygon, thereby ensuring reduction in cost and power consumption.
In the three-dimensional graphics system of the fourth aspect, by giving the external input signal to the read control means, it is possible to externally control the content of the three-dimensional graphics display.
In the three-dimensional graphics system of the fifth aspect, by interposing the high-speed read memory means between the nonvolatile memory means and the second-operation processing means to achieve a high-speed read of the first-operation processed data, the operation by the second-operation processing means can be performed at higher speed.
In the processor of the sixth aspect, since an operation for obtaining the graphics drawing data from the polygon on the basis of the first-operation processed data read out from the predetermined nonvolatile memory device to generate the graphics drawing data, the three-dimensional graphics system capable of generating the graphics drawing data can be constituted of the predetermined nonvolatile memory device storing the first-operation processed data and the processor at relatively low cost.
Since the recording medium of the seventh aspect stores the first-operation processed data obtained by performing at least part of the geometrical operation on the basis of the three-dimensional polygon definition data, by providing a drawing computer for reading the first-operation processed data from the recording medium and performing the operation for obtaining the graphics drawing data from the three-dimensional polygon on the basis of the read first-operation processed data to generate the graphics drawing data, the combination of the recording medium and the computer can constitutes the three-dimensional graphics system at relatively low cost.
An object of the present invention is to provide a three-dimensional graphics system which ensures reduction in cost and power consumption.
These and other objects, features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of the present invention when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.